The mullet is alive and well in Chile.

Yesterday was my first day at the Windsor School. The Windsor school is a private school for preschool through 12th grade. The other Otterbein students and I take special classes during the teachers' free periods because that is when they can teach us. We have classes on Spanish, Chilean history, art, and even cooking. We are also going to have gym and acting later on. I love every minute at the Windsor school. like I said before, the little kids are adorable. They love talking to us and asking us about the United States. They all think that I know Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus personally because we are from the same country. Hilarious. I can't walk through the hall without being stopped by a mob of elementary school girls that want to talk to me, touch my hair, and hug me. Yesterday after school, a few girls stopped me for about 20 minutes. One 1ittle girl kept asking me if I could come to her house to play with her. She wants me to come over next Wednesday. Another little girl gave me a picture of a horse that she drew because I told her that I have a horse. Needless to say, I am in love with these children.

There are many other reasons why I love the Windsor School, though. The day is structured completely differently than a typical school day in the United States. The day starts at 8 a.m. At 9:30, there is a 15 minute break in which the students have complete freedom on the school campus. They play soccer, run through the woods, eat snacks, talk to their friends, or catch up on homework. There is another one of these breaks at 11:30. At 1 p.m. everyone goes home for lunch. Students that live close walk and the others are picked up by their parents. Lunch is a big deal in Chile. Unlike the US, where dinner is the biggest meal, lunch is the main meal of the day. For dinner, we usually eat leftovers from lunch or a small snack. Lunch lasts until 3 p.m., when the students return to school. At 4:30, there is another 15 minute break. The day ends at 6:15. If you only look at the fact that the day starts at 8 and ends at 6:15, it seems like school would be painful. However, the frequent breaks and long lunch mean that the day flies by. Also, it is much easier to focus during the time you spend in class. As a psychology major, I cannot help but think about the way our education system contributes to the development of disorders such as ADHD, which is highly American. It seems like attention disorders like ADHD would be much less prevalent here since students are able to get their energy out and take frequent breaks.

My Chilean family is amazing. My Chilean mother has brought breakfast to my bedroom for the past two mornings. There is nothing like breakfast in bed. Mom, you have some serious competition. I have only been able to see my dad a few times because he is always working but he is nice as well. I have been having a great time with my sisters, Fena (19 years old) and Maca (17 years old). Fena and I are going to a discotec tonight to go dancing. A bunch of the Otterbein students and their Chilean siblings are as well. When people in Chile go out, they normally go around 1 a.m. and stay until 5 a.m. Yeah, Chileans know how to party. I am too old for that, though, and we all have class tomorrow so going out that late would be a terrible idea. Instead, we are going much earlier and will be home by midnight.

I have noticed the strangest thing here. There are so many men with mullets. I really can't understand it. I don't think this hairstyle ever was or will ever be attractive. However, if anyone has a personal connection to Billy Ray Cyrus, give him a call and let him know that the mullet is alive and well in Chile.